Aden Polydoros

*Huge thanks to Harper Collins Canada and Inkyard Press for a physical ARC of this book. I offer this review willingly and without any compensation whatsoever.*

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A BIT OF SPOILERS, NOT MANY, BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW.

I have to be honest, the striking cover with the girl’s fierce expression and the Hebrew writing got me interested in this book. Then, I saw the title and got excited—sounded totally up my alley! I read the blurb and I just fell for it. I had to read this gem! And so, I requested it from Harper Collins Canada and I’ve been honoured to have it granted to me as a paperback galley!

But what do I think of this book?

Well, for starters, I just loved it and I will never forget it. Vera and Akiva are dear to me, they’re seared into my heart. The book will sit high on my bookshelves, and I will look upon it with affection and satisfaction.

Also, honestly, this is the most humane fantasy story I have read in a long time.

Care to discover how so?

Keep reading, loves!

The Positive Points

Underneath the surface of this book is a coming of age story about identity, your place in the world, figuring out who you truly are and what you value versus the opinions of others, and how you choose to go about it. All told from the point of view of a golem girl made of a dead girl’s body parts and clay. It’s as surprising as poignant as it sounds (and even more when you read it!) Vera’s reflections on life, death, pain, happiness, and what it means to be human are touching, poignant, and relatable (although she is a golem, but it is indeed an interesting vessel for these reflections.) The story revolves around the concepts of monster and man, who’s the monster and who is the man (or woman here) in that war? It reminds me of Clopin singing “Who’s the monster and who is the man?” in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Disney.

The great friendship and companionship between Vera and Akiva is sweet and comforting. They have a cute, bittersweet companionship. And their banter is fun; it’s genuine, like Vera describes it. Vera’s attraction and affection for Akiva seems forbidden, due to the nature of her creation, yet it’s what she wants as well as Chaya, but as herself. Golems have wants too. I was suffering reading their moments together because shipping them feels forbidden, like a transgression somehow, but they’re so cute. And believe me, there will be many surprises with their relationship! You’re in for a jolly good ride with them; several tears, groans, smiles, and one joyful shriek (at least that’s how it went for me). Moreover, Vera’s confrontation with Akiva learning the truth about her being a golem is so sad and rife with angst. But I love how she still tries to claim her right on her body parts and life, although it does seem weak, poor doll. I was so shocked, but glad in the end because Akiva’s always been that good guy, I know. :)

Also, I looooved meeting their enemies and friends; mostly their friends, like a kind girl named Miriam, and Gulzifa (you’ll see). There were several plot twists along the reading, two of which I hadn’t seen coming, so kudos there. It was both incredibly sweet AND heart-wrenching. And Omfg, meeting the Nazi they’re after was such a surprise! Mostly in the how it’s done! Plus, It’s so f*** true how appearances can be deceiving; how monsters can hide in plain sight and look innocent. Yet the true innocent are persecuted and viewed as monsters.

I particularly noticed a “polyglot moment”. I saw that in some scenes where Vera struggled with which word to utter in what context, yet they all surged in her mind for her to use in all the languages she knows. It feels exactly like that as a polyglot, ha! (I’d know because I’m one.)

One thing that is very important in Wrath Becomes Her is how Vera wants so much to be loved. As herself. Don’t we all? Plus, the imagery to describe her emotions is often interesting because the author uses words related to water, rocks, and rivers, and so on (where she comes from). She doesn’t understand death, and is always trying to grasp its concept, just as life, yet her descriptions are striking.

At some point, Vera has to fight some clay or creatures like her. she doesn’t want to do it, yet she has to. This is just like some did to survive, they had to kill the enemy to breathe air for one more day… Like in the concentration camps and out of them during the war. It was a good mirror moment.

I must say the last chapters are quite dark and horror-like, which is beautiful and fitting to this novel. And they’re quite exciting, with thrilling action!

As for another character, Ezra, he’s such a complex yet angsty character. We don’t like him right away, but we can understand his motives. But in the end, it’s lovely and he’s thoughtful. That took me by surprise, even though I’d hoped for something similar from him. Finally, he accepts his “creation”. We get to we see what acceptant and love can do. In addition to that, I love how their creators (Ezra being Vera’s) give the Golems traits and purposes; like Vera got rage, emotions, curiosity, and empathy.

According to theories and beliefs explained here and there in the book, it seems Vera does have a soul of some kind. So sweet! It’s about the Luz bone (where the soul resides) and reincarnation, interesting! Also, Vera goes from being seen and feeling like a monster, to being seen as and acting like a protector. That transformation of perspective and reactions is amazing and touching. It pulls my heart out but replaces it a bit better, too. This book explores death, grief, life, happiness, survival, injustice, love, and fear. It’s beautiful and heart-wrenching, yet it aims so true. It’s human, and it’s beautiful, in all its messiness.

And awwww, wow, a lovely, fitting ending!!! Such a twist! I’M LOVING IT! I was somehow hoping for it, yearning for it, but I thought it was too… dark for a young adult book, but hey, the author surprised me greatly! Dang, I just adored that!!! The perfect ending for Wrath Becomes Her in my opinion!!! I will never forget it, it left its mark on me, haha.

The Negative Points

The only negative point is that sometimes the author would repeat words and phrases a few times in the same page, it’s slightly annoying but it doesn’t happen too often. Yet it’s not worth taking away a star for this!

In Conclusion

All in all, Wrath Becomes Her is also about how to make a difference in the world, in something seemingly insurmountable, and it’s positive, it’s about helping people, which I adored. This is honestly the most humane fantasy story I have read in a long time. For all these reasons of positivity and humane feelings, I give Wrath Becomes Her a solid, unbreakable rating of 5 stars out of 5.… (more)

Brimming with rage, resilience, and deep questions around humanity and creation reminiscent of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Wrath Becomes Her is a genre-blending gem of history, fantasy, and horror. Following the death of his daughter at the hands of the Nazis, a man creates a golem in her likeness using kishuf—ancient magic derided as an abomination against God—in order to avenge her death. Vera is a creation of clay and steel and ink and human teeth designed to be the ultimate Nazi killer... but is that all she is? As she encounters people whom she recognizes from stolen memories and uncovers a plot to channel kishuf to wage war, Vera grapples with the complexities of humanity as well as the nature of her creation and whether she is allowed or deserves to have a life or purpose beyond the one she was given.

Set in Lithuania against the backdrop of World War II, the novel creates an immersive sense of foreboding and the tangible dangers for simply existing as a Jew. Traveling back roads and sneaking through dense forests in the dead of winter, the horrors of clandestine camps for Jewish refugees being found by Nazis or Soviets, the tangible dangers of resistance to the extermination of your people.... These elements all swirl together and fill the reader with the same dread the characters feel with their every move. I am not well-informed enough to know whether the historical elements of this book are entirely accurate, but the world created for this book does feel real and lived-in by these characters. Part of this is likely the writing style, which somehow manages to overwhelm my pet peeve of first-person narration within historical settings and evoke a sense of immersion in the story.

Vera is a stellar character that resonates with the queer experience of being perceived as "monstrous" by others, perhaps even by oneself, and the grappling with identity that comes with existing beyond the traditional roles, experiences and bodies the world demands. I feel a kinship with her: a rage that is both her own and inherited from another, a hunger for more than her assigned role or purpose, a hypervigilance of her own physicality. Her interactions with the various humans she encounters throughout the book are interesting to read; particularly the way that Vera's perception of herself morphs into something greater as her connections and care for the living grow. To see her journey from her creation to creator was deeply compelling.

Deftly pitched as Frankenstein meets Inglorious Basterds, Wrath Becomes Her is a compelling story of Jewish resilience and rage against the Nazi regime during the Second World War that further cements Polydoros as a talented author of young adult fiction.… (more)

Wrath Becomes Her is set in WWII during the Nazi occupation of Lithuania. This fast-paced story follows Vera, a golem who has been created by Ezra, a Jewish scholar, in the image of his daughter Chaya who was killed fighting the Nazis. Vera has been imbued with the purpose of avenging Chaya's death and protecting Jews from the Nazis and carries with her many of Chaya's memories.
Beautiful and brutal, this book offers a unique and original perspective on the Holocaust. It is thought provoking, in that it makes us think about what makes us human, what defines a monster, and what remains of us after we are gone. The writing was lyrical and poetic, the story highly emotional with an emphasis on grief, loss, despair and anger, not only anger directed against the Nazis, but also those who collaborated with them and those whose silence aided and abetted their monstrous agenda. Wrath Becomes Her was compelling and vivid, I just would have appreciated more wrath and rage.… (more)

What an original story. I haven’t encountered anything quite like it. There’s a little bit of Frankenstein in it - the pursuit of vengeance and the question of what makes a being “human” or “monster.” It’s part WWII horror - the gruesome Nazi experiments as well as the bloody struggle to survive and fight. And the book also has a tentative and heartbreaking second chance romance.

The story follows Vera, who was created as a golem in the image of Chaya, a girl killed by Nazis. Vera joins forces with Akiva - the boy who loved Chaya when she was still alive. Together they seek vengeance and fight against the forces occupying their home.

I loved that Vera was trying to find her place in the shadow of the living girl she replaced in everyone’s eyes. She has Chaya’s memories but is a different person and that exploration was super interesting.

I also appreciated the writing style. It was quite fast paced and I kept thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading it. The action was intense and sometimes a bit gruesome for me (just to warn readers) but I think it was important for the setting and plot - I mean, they’re people being brutally hunted and eliminated - it can’t really be anything but horrific.

All of that being said and while I enjoyed the book and liked the characters, I didn’t really connect with any of them. Which is fine because it was a good book in general. Would have liked to learn more about Jewish mythology and golem lore.… (more)